Martha Was Forgotten
by FinalFantasyHearts-Rinsaito
Summary: ONE SHOT. Martha was the most annoying person the doctor had ever met - so, why was she still there with him after the war? AU version of Martha's departure as an assistant. Don't flame please - even if you love Martha.


Martha Was Forgotten

_[Author Note: This is for Jack, one of my best friends, because of our mutual hatred of Martha Jones. Yes, put her in room 101! Also, because this is his birthday present. Bonne anniversaire, mais amis! :) Sorry it's late. Just a tad. Enjoy!] __Thanks to Ancient and Forever, for BETAing for me :D_

_After a year of being the Master's play-thing, The Doctor is back to normal. How should that conversation with Martha have really gone though? It's not really that different but, oh well. _

Martha Jones stood in the TARDIS and smiled at The Doctor, he smiled nicely, then turned away to the control panel - grimacing. Why wouldn't she go away? Seriously, her family wanted her back, they'd practically begged - why wouldn't she listen like a good daughter, and just piss off? Please!

The Doctor wasn't normally like this about the people he allowed on the TARDIS with him, but, in this instance he couldn't help it. Sure, he enjoyed Martha's company, and he was sorry she'd been through so very much for him over the past year, but, honestly, she wasn't his type of person. Not really. Simply put: Martha Jones was the most annoying person The Doctor had ever met. Sure, she was smart, and funny, and inquisitive, but, it only went so far. She was also clingy, tactless and too self-righteous for his liking. He missed Rose.

He pouted slightly, wondering why he'd been made to end up without Rose, and had been landed with someone like Martha instead. Obviously, something was out to get him. And, not the normal types of 'somethings' either, the kind he didn't know, or understand - Couldn't even name.

Just as he was drifting into a lovely memory of Rose, and her smile, and the way her lips had felt against his when she'd kis-

He was interrupted abruptly by, you guessed it, his adorable hanger-on. _Why Me?_, he thought to himself sadly, _I get stuck with the bimbo subtly disguised as a smart girl_.

"So," she said, meandering her way through the TARDIS towards him, ducking under hanging clumps of wires as she went. He turned to face her, somewhat grudgingly, and looked back at the girl. She had managed to get much closer than he'd have liked, and noticed. He moved back slightly, only to find the control panel there to stop him from going any further back.

_This thing is bigger on the inside than the outside, bigger than most mansions, in fact, and you chose these three feet to corner me in?!_ he thought unhappily to himself. He wished she'd step back a little, so that he could edge his way around the wiring slightly, and have plenty of room to escape if necessary. He wasn't sure why, but, having her so close made him very nervous, and it wasn't the type of nervous Rose had always made him. The giddy excitement of seeing her, the true elation when she smiled at him, how he couldn't help but try to catch a sneaky look at her when she didn't know - just so that he knew she was there. No, this was different. Closer to...oh, fear, perhaps?

"Yes?" he asked, using his hands to brace himself against the control board.

No, maybe it was terror.

She took a step forward and he gulped, God save him she was probably going to try to molest him. He almost laughed at himself. He, The Doctor, the last Time Lord, scared of this small, dark skinned girl, with a liking for looking like a pineapple and a fixation with the same red leather jacket. Had she ever not worn that thing? He couldn't think of a time she hadn't, aside from that party where they'd had to get dressed up. If he hadn't told her to, he would have sworn blind she would have been sporting that ugly jacket as normal. It really was such a terrible colour, he told himself as he stared at it, trying to distract himself from the distance she was slowly closing. Well, actually, she was closing it rather quickly. Far too quickly…he needed an escape plan.

"My family want me to stay this time…" she told him slowly, staring up at the Time Lord adoringly.

"Oh, really?" He asked, pretending to be surprised, and that he hadn't been eavesdropping on the very conversation, silently praying she'd say yes to her family.

"Yeah, but, I'm going to set them straight."

He raised an eyebrow, wanting more of an explanation, but the dread creeping into his stomach wishing it wasn't what he expected, " Well, obviously, I'm going to tell them I'm not staying." He'd been right. Where was the sick bucket? Oh, damn, he didn't have one. He really needed one, he should buy one, very soon. He'd put that on his 'to do' list. The top of the list 'Get sick bucket for when Martha's around'. It was the one time he'd ever felt sick in his life. Time Lords didn't throw up, it just wasn't done. There she was, going and ruining a nine hundred year streak, and destroying his own genetic make-up. Maybe, if she insisted on staying, he could trap her inside some mythical locket or such?

"Erm…okay…" he replied, at a loss, for probably one of the first times in his entire existence. Another streak she had easily crushed, like a giant grinding a poor innocent daisy underfoot.

"Aren't you happy? I thought you'd be happy. You don't have to be alone."

_Love, I'd take being alone for eternity, over having to listen to your drivel everyday - for God only knows how long you plan on invading my space!_

What he said aloud was, "Happy? Of course I'm happy, can't you tell - this is my happy face." He pointed quickly to his face, forcing a thin smile to his lips, "I'm so happy, I might just go outside and sing, let's go and sing outside. 'Kay?"

This had been The Doctor's subtle plan to get her to move, and then, the whole ladies first thing…and slamming the door, he'd be out of there before she could say 'Judoon are invading!'. He didn't want to be mean, but, if she wouldn't go herself, and he didn't want to be rude, he'd have to leave her.

He didn't think he could cope with anymore of her annoying, stupid and intrusive questions. And now, after the war, all he wanted to do was forget her. After all, everyone else had, why couldn't he?

Why couldn't he just forget his time with Martha Jones? The terrible year he'd had at the hands of The Master, even if he was his only kin. He wanted it to mean nothing, because, much as he'd had faith in the result they now stood on the other side of, the memories would haunt him, just as many others already did.

Martha smiled sweetly at him, and he sighed. "Are you sure? You know you don't have to stay?" her eyes widened with shock, and she shook her head.

"I'd never leave you." He nodded, perhaps he had been cruel with his thoughts, but, although he appreciated the gesture, she would never be Rose, no one could replace her in his life. He doubted anyone ever would either, no matter how long he went on alone, and how many people accompanied him across time and space, it would always be Rose.

He groaned, he knew it wasn't nice of him to think what he had, and he internally chided himself for the harsh, unspoken words, but, he had realised one thing. No matter what, others couldn't live a life like him.

"Martha, I really do appreciate it, but, you need to stay here." The Doctor placed his hands on her shoulders to convey the importance of the message, people responded to eye-contact more easily than anything else. He had learnt this during his time traveling, humans were the one species who found body-language hardest to read, and rarely possessed empathy for others.

She blinked up at him, tears beginning to well up in her dark eyes and his will crumbled beneath him like ancient stone.

"But, why?" Martha asked, sniffing slightly. He let go of her abruptly, stepping back again, and looking down at his slightly worn converses, mumbling something unintelligible. Which was, yet again, very unlike him.

He sighed, thrusting his hands into his pockets and shrugging, he understood why, and he always would.

"Because, you can't live like this."

"What? Of course I can, I have been!" he shook his head sadly.

"No, Martha, you haven't. You've traveled with me, you will never be able to live like me, it's impossible – firstly, your longevity is far too short for that, and you can only stay so long." Frowning, she bit her lip, not really understanding what he was trying to tell her.

"But, I want to stay with you..."

"I know, I do, but, live for yourself, make a life here on earth – because it will do you no good in later life knowing all about aliens...unless they attack, of course. Your place is here, with your family." The doctor told her slightly sternly, she sighed.

"But, I don't need anything else..."

He looked at her quizzically, not sure as to how she expected him to respond. He went with blunt this time.

"What do you mean?"

"All I need is you,"

"Ah..." he scrubbed his face quickly with his hands, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to make himself understand what was going on. The thing was, he understood, he understood far too well. He just didn't have a clue what to do about the situation.

Martha rolled her eyes, flicking her hair back, which was, for once, hanging around her shoulders neatly. Did he not see a confession when it was almost thrown in his face? Or were her fears of rejection becoming all too true, just as she had predicted.

"Martha...I..."

She held up her hands to stop him, shaking her head, and then putting her hands over her ears, "No, it's okay, don't say it – I understand. Just, just, don't say the words, I always knew. But, it's okay – I'll survive."

He nodded slightly, and she let her hands fall to her sides limply. "I'm sorry." The Doctor told her seriously.

"No, don't worry – I knew anyway. It was always Rose, wasn't it?" another nod confirmed everything she had ever thought, dashing anything she had hoped for him, and finally drawing her to a choice. She knew he was right too. She had to go, really, she had just made it impossible to stay. Martha couldn't go on, traveling with him, knowing, because she knew she wouldn't be able to let go. _A clean break_, she told herself sternly. _Find someone else, someone human._

They stood at the door to the TARDIS in silence. The Doctor actually, when he admitted it, quite saddened to say goodbye. Especially, under the circumstances of the farewell, and what had led her to agree with him. Nothing more would be said, whether it was needed or not, he wasn't entirely sure – but, he had a feeling he'd find out one day anyway.

She needed someone more than he was, or less, when he thought about it. One heart was enough for her, just the one. Martha turned to him, smiling sadly, trying to stop the tears from showing, she wanted to walk away looking strong. It was imperative to her pride that she did, and not to break down in front of him, to show how much it really did rip her up inside to have something she had always known confirmed by the Time Lord. It was ridiculous really, and selfish to force those feelings on him – but, she didn't feel able to go on not knowing.

He opened the door with a creek, and held it for her. Carrying her small bags, she trudged out into the overcast afternoon. She sighed, she was back, back home, leaving behind the fascinating, glistering world that The Doctor belonged to - the one that she, never could. Following her out of the TARDIS, he leaned against the blue box, watching her intently. She dumped her bags on the pavement and turned to him, giving him a quick hug, and kissing his cheek. The Doctor patted her shoulder uncertainly, and promised to visit some time.

Retreating to the TARDIS, he smiled at her one last time, " You'll find someone normal, someone you'll love, and will love you back with all their heart. I promise." Closing the door, he checked what Martha was doing on the monitor, before setting off once more. She was crying, a lot. Raking his fingers through his hair, he sighed. Then he began to pull levers and switches in quick succession, dancing around the control panel as he attempted to run the machine single handedly. Then he was gone, and Martha was left outside her parents house, with a pile of bags and a tear stained face, but, at least she was ready to move on. There were bigger things in life than she had ever appreciated, and sometimes they hurt you, but, this time she'd be well prepared.

Wiping her tears away impatiently with the back of her hand, she bent to pick up on of her bags, then carried it into the terraced house. She looked up once, wondering where he might be, and when, with whom...

"Too bad I couldn't have both hearts," dragging the last of her bags into the hall, she looked away - banging the door shut decisively.


End file.
